Congratulations and Thank You!

By: Steve Hable

Over the last several years, we couldn’t do everything we needed or wanted to do around the campus. The great recession took its toll on all of us. We kept the ministries going and the lights on, but many other projects were postponed. As with most things that go without proper maintenance, replacement is the only answer. The beams are an integral part of the design and warm welcome of the sanctuary. When the beams reached the point of failure, the church needed to get a program going to replace them.

We have many people to thank for getting this process moving. Outgoing Board of Trustee members Kathy Morrison and Bob Harless not only spent time in working on solutions, but also took quick actions when some of the beams failed or were about to fail. Solutions to the beam issue took construction/engineering experts. This congregation is blessed to have architects Eric Naslund, Russ Tscuchida and Robin Tsuchida willing to donate countless hours reviewing options and designing the changes that need to be made.

Finally, to actually do something about the beams took money….. lots of money. In case you didn’t know, the annual budget to operate Foothills is about $1.1 million; not including the Faith Academy which is totally self-sufficient. Even with the annual budget in mind, you were asked to help raise an additional $200,000 or 18% more money than we receive annually. In a six-month period, this congregation donated the additional money to get this much needed project moving in the near future. Congratulations and thank you! We are all blessed to be part of this fantastic congregation.